I know! I know!The introduction above was really a dull pun, wasn't it? But I promise to improve my puns to the next time... Well, last week I had a conversation with Killian (from Ireland) and Lucía (from Spain). These two friends study Portuguese and it was a pleasure to meet them. In this conversation, one thing caught my eye... Let's see some of the phrases they told me:

"Eu vou às aulas de português tudo dia." [WRONG]

"Tuda comida brasileira é boa." [WRONG]

"Eu não consegui entender todo." [WRONG]

The conversation was interesting because both Killian and Lucía told me they already thought these phrases were wrong, but they weren't sure what the right way would be. And you? Would you know what the correct form is for the sentences above?

The first step is always in the dictionary...

First of all, we have to know very well what the words "TUDO" and "TODO" mean actually. For this, let's see the table below:

TUDO

TODO

WHAT IS IT?
It's always an Indefinite Pronoun. And it will never have variations, you will always write and say "TUDO". It is interesting to note that the opposite of "TUDO" is "NADA".

MAIN IDEAS:
1) As an indefinite pronoun: Any
2) As an adjective: whole, complete
3) As a noun: generality, set

When should I use "TUDO"?

See how good it is to devote a little time to grammar? Now, you already know that "TUDO" it's a pronoun indefinite, you know that "TUDO" means "all things"/"everything" and you know that "TUDO" is invariant. With this information, you already know that there is no phrases like:

"tudas as coisas" [WRONG]

"Eu li tudos os livros." [WRONG]

"Tudos os alunos responderam." [WRONG]

Can you explain why these sentences are wrong and sound very strange? Exactly! First, "TUDO" should never have variations. So, there is no "tudos", there is no "tudas" and there is no "tuda". Another thing, "TUDO" means "all things within a set". So, if I say "Eu li tudo os livros", I would be redundant. It's like I'm saying "I've read all the books books." and that doesn't make sense;

Well done! Now that we know how not to use the word "TUDO", let's see how to use it in a proper way:

When we think about use "TODO", we need to pay even more attention. Because in its case there are variations...So,Now let's remember the possibilities we have when we user "TODO":

When "TODO" is synonymous of "WHOLE", "COMPLETE":

Usually, the word "TODO" gives us the idea of "TOTALITY" ("WHOLE", "COMPLETE"). And in these cases, We have to use an article with it and we always will use its singular form. Let's see some examples:

Durante todoo dia, conversaram sobre o mesmo assunto.

Em todoo mundo se fazem festas.

A cidade toda se comoveu com aquela história.

Did you notice we can use the article before or after the noun? See the examples:

Durante todoo dia, conversaram sobre o mesmo assunto.

Durante o dia todo, conversaram sobre o mesmo assunto.

Em todoo mundo se fazem festas.

No mundo todo se fazem festas. (lembre-se que "EM" + "O" = "NO")

Todaa cidade se comoveu com aquela história.

A cidade toda se comoveu com aquela história.

Within this idea, there is an special form of using "TODO" without the article. That's when we want to have the idea of "ENTIRELY", "COMPLETELY".And in this special case we can use its plural form. See examples:

Ela está toda preocupada.

Acabamos de ver as crianças todas chorosas.

Depois da chuva, ele ficou todo molhado.

When "TODO" is synonymous with "ANY" or "EACH":

In Brazilian Portuguese, there is another special way of using "TODO" to give us the idea of "ANY" or "EACH". I believe you already know the famous "todo dia" that Brazilian people love to say (it means "every day" in English). Let's see other examples:

Todo dia, ela faz tudo sempre igual.

Todo homem tem um preço.

Nem toda mulher gosta de maquiagem.

Toda pessoa precisa de bons alimentos.

NOTE:
Remember that those examples above are used only in Brazil, OK? The form used in Portugal and the other countries where European Portuguese is spoken is "todos os..." ou "todas as..." (always in plural). This form is popular in Brazil too , but in Portugal is the only acceptable form. Other examples:

Todosos dias, ela faz tudo sempre igual.

Todosos homens têm um preço.

Nem todasas mulheres gostam de maquiagem.

Todas as pessoas precisam de bons alimentos.

When "TODO" is a noun (sinonimous of "SET"):

There's a situation where "TODO" means "THE SET" or "THE TOTALITY". Let's see examples:

This is a very complex subject. There are more special cases and other considerations regarding the differences of use in Brazil and Portugal. There are also cases where "TUDO" and "TODO"Have a different meaning according to an specific expression (as the one that I used in the text that accompanies the photo of this article)... But, I hope this article has helped with the most common questions. Don't forget to leave your comment!

Friday, February 9, 2018

For uyou it can be easy: "breakfast"... But how can we use the right expression in Portuguese? Let's see it.

I have a friend named Linda. She lives in Sweden and learns Portuguese. She told me she has problems with the word that gives name to the first meal of the day in Portuguese. Why is that? She explained to me that she likes to read many books in Portuguese and she realized that this meal may have different names depending on the region. And because of that, she can never remember the right name.

So let's see some popular expressions:

DESJEJUM ou DESEJUM:The word "desjejum" is used in all Portuguese speaking countries. But, it is not popular in any of them. I left it as the first on the list because it's a word that everyone knows, even though it's hardly used.

CAFÉ DA MANHÃ:
"Café da manhã" it's the expression used in all regions of Brazil. In older publications you can read "café-da-manhã" (with the hyphen), but after the new spelling agreement, the expression is written without the hyphen: "café da manhã".

PEQUENO-ALMOÇO:
The most used expression in Portugal is "pequeno-almoço". In Angola, Cape Verde and Mozambique, this expression is also known. Remember that this expression will always have the hyphen.

MATA-BICHO:
"Mata-bicho" it's a very used expression in countries such as Angola, Cape Verde and Mozambique. Also, it will always have the hyphen.

Monday, March 20, 2017

Do you feel confused by the rules for the pronunciation of the letter "S" in Portuguese? And do you feel even more confused by the accent differences? Don't worry! This article can help you a litle bit...

I know a very "chique" person, her name is Mayumi. She is Japanese and she has an intermediate level in Portuguese. I think Mayumi is very "chique" because she is wine expert and she already worked in many regions of Portugal and Brasil. She already visited Porto, Lisbon, Algarve, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Porto Alegre and other cities.

The other day, Mayumi talked to me and she said that she will never understand the correct pronunciation of the letter "S" in Portuguese. Because she feels like each place has a different pronunciation for this letter. If you feel like Mayumi, let's learn a little more about "S" pronounciation.

NOTE 1:
Remember that the letter "S" may appear at the beginning, the middle, or the end of a word. At the beginning of the word we must to write only "S" (e.g. "sal"). At the end of the word we must to write "S" (e.g. "lápis"). Between two vowels, if we want "Z" sound we must to write only "S" (e.g. "casa"), but if we want the "S" sound we must to write "SS" (e.g. "assassino");

In all regions of Brazil and almost all regions of Portugal, the letter"S" the the sound [s] when it is at the beginning of the word (NOTE: in the north of Portugal, the letter "S" has the sound [s̺] when is in the beginning of the word, that is a litle bit different). Here are some comparisons for this sound:

- the same as "S" of the English word "saturday";
- the same as "S" of the Spanish word "sabiduría";
- the same as "S" of the French word "sacré";
- the same as "S" of the Italian word "sala";

Example: SILÊNCIO
Male voice of Portugal:
Male voice of Brazil:

"SS" - that indicates "S" sound between vowels...

When you could see before, "SS" only appears between two vowels. And it always has the same sound as "S" in the beggining of rhe word. To illustrate, follow some comparisons of this sound:

- the same as "S" of the English word "sausage";
- the same as "S" of the Spanish word "beso";
- the same as "Ç" of the French word "leçon";
- the same as "SS" of the Italian word "rosso";

Example: SESSÃO
Male voice of Portugal:
Male voice of Brazil:

"S" when indicates "Z" sound between two vowels...

Bwtween two vowels, the letter "S" (single S) has the sound [z] (in the North of Portugal, the sound is [z̺]). Follow some comparisons for this sound:

- the same as "Z" of the English word "zebra";
- the same as "Z" of the French word "zéro";
- the same as "Z" of the Italian word "zucchero";

Example: USUÁRIO
Female voice of Portugal:
Female voice of Brazil:

It is interesting to note that, when the "S" is at the end of the word and the next word starts with a vowel, this "S" will have "Z" sound.

Example: OLHOS AZUIS
Female voice of Brazil:

"S" at the end of the word or at the end of the syllable...

In this situation, you will find many variations. The main ones are:

1) The majority of regions in Portugal, the region of Rio de Janeiro, many regions in North and North-East of Brazil.

In these regions, when "S" is in the end of the syllable (or the end of the word) and the next letter is a 'deaf consonant' (p, t, qu, f, s, ch and x), the "S" sound will be [ʃ] — that is like "CH" sound in the Portuguese word "CHÁ". Some similar cases are:

- similar to "SH" of the English word "harsh;
- the same as "CH" of the French word "chaud";
- the same as "SC" of the Italian word "prosciutto";

Still in these regions, when the letter "S" is on the end of the syllable (or the word) and the next letter is a 'sound consonant' (b, d, g, j, l, lh, m, n, nh, r, v, z), the sound of the letter "S" will be [Ʒ] — that is similar to "J" sound in the Portuguese word "JÁ". See some comparisons:

- similar to "J" of the English word "joy;
- the same as "J" of the French word "jolie";
- similar to "G" of the Italian word "gente";

2) in the South and South-East of Brasil and in many regions in Center

In these regions the "S" when is on final syllable (or at the end of the word) has the same value as the beggining of the word. I.e, the sound will be [s] for all words. Follow some similar cases:

- the same as "SS" of the English word "grass";
- similar to "Z" of the Spanish word "lápiz";
- similar to S" of the first word in the French expression "mes amis";
- the same as "S" of the Italian word "versus";

Example: PASTEL DE NATA
Male voice of São Paulo region - Brazil:

Example: DOIS
Female voice of São Paulo region - Brazil:

Example: MESMO
Female voice of São Paulo region - Brazil:

So, I think Mayumi is right. Well, at least in some parts... There is some variation according to the region where you are. But this variation is not so big as she thinkgs. If you have some experience about this theme, don't forget to send us your comment.

Thursday, March 16, 2017

I guess you already could notice that the way we use verb "GOSTAR" in Portuguese is very different from the way we use the verb "GUSTAR" in Spanish. So let's talk about this subject a litle more...

The verb "GOSTAR" is a very interesting subject, maily if you also speak Spanish. I would like to tell you a story about my friend Benjamin. He lives in Brasil for two years. At the begging, he found the verb "GOSTAR" very hard. Would you like to know why?

#1: THEY ARE VERY SIMILAR

My friend Benjamin was born and raised in Chile, his native language is Spanish. Maybe you already know what is the verb that he uses when he wants to express his feelings about things he likes and things he doesn't like. It's the verb "GUSTAR" in Spanish.

When he arrived in Brazil, Benjamin learned that for these situations we use the verb "GOSTAR" in Portuguese. Well, Same meaning and almost the same pronunciation. He found this very easy!

With time Benjamin found out the this similarity was precisely what made the use of the verb "GOSTAR" very difficult. In many situations, he ended up telling something like:
- "ME GOSTA MUITO O PÃO DE QUEIJO"

What do you think about this phrase above? Yeah, this phrase is totally WRONG! Let's see the reason...

#2: THEY ARE VERY DIFFERENT

Yes my friend. Although the meaning is the same and the pronunciation is very similar, the structure of the use of the verb "GOSTAR" in Portuguese is very different from the structure used in the Spanish language. Note the table bellow:

Did you notice the difference? And the worst: The structure in Spanish is inadmissible in Portuguese. This means that trying to use "ME GOSTA MUITO O PÃO DE QUEIJO", your phrase will sound really weird. I mean really really really weird! It would be a classic example of the famous "Portuñol".

#3: SO, WHAT'S THE MEANING OF VERB "GOSTAR"?

First, you have to understand that the verb "GOSTAR" can have different meanings. See the table below, it shows the two meanings of this verb:

Gostar 1

Gostar 2*

To find good, to have affection, to approve, to appreciate, to find tasty...

Example:
"Gosto de maçã."

To try, to taste...

Example:
"Gostei o bolo e achei o recheio delicioso."

Did you noticed that, depending on the meaning, you must use the preposition "DE"? This we will see in the next topic. But, one important thing for you to keep in mind now is that the structure of the verb will always be PERSONAL PRONOUN + VERB "GOSTAR". Forget about the oblique pronouns (me, te, etc), you need to use personal pronouns (eu, tu, você, etc). See this examples:

See in this link the complete table of conjugation of the verb "GOSTAR". Remember that the table will indicate the conjugation regardless of meaning and regency: http://www.conjuga-me.net/verbo-gostar

#4: WHAT ARE THE RULES???

Now, you have to understand what it is regency. In simple words, verbal regency is the relationship established between the verb and its complements. Depending on the meaning, the verb "GOSTAR" need to use the preposition "DE" as a complement. This is very important, because the most common use of the verb "GOSTAR" is the meaning 1 of the table presented in the topic #3.

This is really very important: when the verb "GOSTAR" has as meaning "find something good", "approval", "to like something" etc., it will require the use of the preposition "DE".

Monday, March 13, 2017

In this article I want to suggest some writing activities. And maybe you can say: "Li! I'm focusing in conversation! Why should I waste my time on writing?". Well, let me show you that you never lose your time when use this method...

Writing helps to maximize your learning and it's an important skill in any language. As a consequence, you end up improving your speaking skills. for example, you... yes you that have not so many opportunities to join conversation with native speakers in your city, can you remember a situation when you finally found an opportunity but didn't know what to say? Well... if you are used to write in Portuguese, when this day comes, you'll be prepared.

Writing allows you to practice everything that you are learning. But, how can you really practice? You do this when you write abour things you do, things you read, things you watch or things that you like. In other words, when you have the opportunity to creat a connection between your exercise and the real life. This makes it much easier to retain what you learn.

Oh! Another benefit: it is much easier to make a native speaker correct a text than a conversation :-)

So, did I manage to convince you? Huh? If so, I want to suggest a way to do all this in this article. You can use 3 very useful tools that are offered for free at Italki: "Notebook", "Answers" e "Discussions". Here is a short activity plan:

STEP 1: COMBINE WRITING WITH ANOTHER PRACTICE

The first thing to think about is that you should not just write 'lost' sentences. You should write about things you can interact with: describe your activities, talk about movies that you have watched, give your opinion about an article that you could read, talk about your plans, etc.

This way it is much easier to keep fixed in your mind the words and expressions you have learned. Also, it is much easier to understand how to integrate these words into phrases for real-life situations.

Tip: The idea is that you choose something that you like. If you prefer videos, movies, songs or just tell something that happened to you, Choose these things as the basis for your texts. OK?

STEP 2: WRITE THE TEXT AND GET THE CORRECTIONS

Hora de pôr a mão na massa (the English expression for 'pôr a mão na massa" can be 'hands on')! In this step, you cna use the tool "Notebook" ("Caderno de Notas" in Portuguese). With this tool you can write a text so that the native speakers of the community can correct it. After, you can compare the corrections and 'meditate' on them.

Suggested activity
You should choose a basis for your text. With this basis you should write one text a day (or each two days). You will be amazed at the number of texts you can write using just one article. For example, you can write...
1) A summary of article.
2) Your opinion about something that you agree.
3) Your opinion about something that you disagree.
4) About something you did not know before reading the article that surprised you.
5) Things of the article that are similar in your culture.
6) Your own text about something that has a connection with the subject of the article, but which was not addressed by it.

Tip: You should write a large enough text so that it may require an effort according to your level. But be careful, because a very large text can discourage people who will correct it.

STEP 3: MAKE QUESTIONS

Well done! You wrote beautiful and wonderful texts huh?! And the native speakers corrected them and also gave you some suggestions. Now it's time to meditate on what you can improve. There was something you did not understand or did not agree? Or, did you receive different corrections for the same point?

You can use the tool "Answers" ("Respostas" in Portuguese). With this tool, you can send questions so the native speakers in the community can answer them.

Suggested activity
During the days you are practicing, do not forget to send questions. You can ask about...
1) What is the meaning of a word or expression that you read or heard.
2) Doubts that arose at the time you were writing your text.
3) Cultural tips about the theme.
4) Some previous corrections that made you confused.

Dica: No matter what is your level, Try to write the questions in Portuguese. You can use a dictionary or even a translator to help you express yourself better.

STEP 4: INTERACT EVEN MORE

Cool! When you reach this step, it means that you already could practice reading (or listening) and writing. Also you already could have the opportunity to get the answers for many questions.

Why not take advantage of the tool "Discussions" ("Discussões" in Portuguese)? With it you have the opportunity to get more involved with the community.

What you can do?
1) Create a topic asking help.
2) Create a topic offering help.
3) Create a topic to introduce yourself.
4) Create a topic to start a conversation about things you like.

DISCIPLINE!!!

With the above suggestions, you will have small activities to attend for a week or two. You can vary these activities using Brazilian or Portuguese movies. Also, you can write a diary with your day-to-day activities or travel plans. The options are many!

But, one important thing is that you should analyze whether this time has helped to improve your skils. You can even write about your activities in the comments of this article.

"ESSE" is translated as "THAT" in English and its plural form "ESSES" is translated as "THOSE". "ESSE" and its variations are used when something or someone is far from the speaker but close to the listener.

"AQUELE" is translated as "THAT OVER THERE" or only "THAT" in English and its plural form "AQUELES" is translated as "THOSE". "AQUELES" and its variations are used to refer to something or someone that are further away from both speaker and listener.

"ISTO" means "THIS THING", "ISSO" means "THAT THING" and "AQUILO" means "THAT THING OVER THERE". They are used when we don't know or when we don't want to use the name of the thing. These demonstrative pronouns do not identify objects (they don’t accompany a noun) and they are used just in the singular form (they NEVER vary). Also we can use them when we want express opinion or ideas. Let's see some examples:

Monday, December 5, 2016

Hello everybody! If you are following the series of articles for beginners, at this time you already know some vocabulary and affirmative phrases structures. Now I will show you basic topics about Portuguese interrogative phrases.

You already know about the structure for simple sentences in Portuguese. For interrogative sentences, the structure is the same, you just need to change the "." for the "?" ("ponto de interrogação" in Portuguese):[subject pronoun] +
verb +
complement +
?

Let's see some examples:Quem fez o almoço? [Who prepared the lunch?] Qual das frutas preferes? [Which fruit do you prefer?] Quantas pessoas estão na festa? [How many people are at the party?] Quando posso te ver? [When can I see you?] Você sabe como tudo aconteceu? [Do you know how it all happened?]

I Know what you thought when you saw the asterisks in the list above: "Lota of exeptions huh?"... This time I have no exception for you, but i have some observations:

"Quanto" and "Qual" must vary according to the number and gender of the nouns that they are follwing.

See these examples:Qual é a vantagem deste trabalho? [What is the benefit of this work?] Quais são as vantagens deste trabalho? [What are the benefits of this work?]Quanto dinheiro será necessário? [How much money will be needed?]Quanta mão de obra será necessária? [How much labor will be needed?]Quantos empregados serão necessários? [How many male employees will be needed?]Quantas empregadas serão necessárias? [How many female employees will be needed?]

Another important consideration is about "Que". For example, a correct phrase would be: "Que comeremos agora?" [What we are going to eat now?]. This phrase is very common in Portugal, but in Brazil people use to say "O que comeremos agora?". This second form is grammatically wrong, but people talk like this all the time. And things are not so easy... in some situations people don't use this article "O" when use "Que" interrogatives. For example phrases like "Que comunicado ele pretende fazer?" [What communication does he intend to make?] is widely used in Brazil.